World Journal of Emergency Surgery (May 2024)

The 2023 WSES guidelines on the management of trauma in elderly and frail patients

  • Belinda De Simone,
  • Elie Chouillard,
  • Mauro Podda,
  • Nikolaos Pararas,
  • Gustavo de Carvalho Duarte,
  • Paola Fugazzola,
  • Arianna Birindelli,
  • Federico Coccolini,
  • Andrea Polistena,
  • Maria Grazia Sibilla,
  • Vitor Kruger,
  • Gustavo P. Fraga,
  • Giulia Montori,
  • Emanuele Russo,
  • Tadeja Pintar,
  • Luca Ansaloni,
  • Nicola Avenia,
  • Salomone Di Saverio,
  • Ari Leppäniemi,
  • Andrea Lauretta,
  • Massimo Sartelli,
  • Alessandro Puzziello,
  • Paolo Carcoforo,
  • Vanni Agnoletti,
  • Luca Bissoni,
  • Arda Isik,
  • Yoram Kluger,
  • Ernest E. Moore,
  • Oreste Marco Romeo,
  • Fikri M. Abu-Zidan,
  • Solomon Gurmu Beka,
  • Dieter G. Weber,
  • Edward C. T. H. Tan,
  • Ciro Paolillo,
  • Yunfeng Cui,
  • Fernando Kim,
  • Edoardo Picetti,
  • Isidoro Di Carlo,
  • Adriana Toro,
  • Gabriele Sganga,
  • Federica Sganga,
  • Mario Testini,
  • Giovanna Di Meo,
  • Andrew W. Kirkpatrick,
  • Ingo Marzi,
  • Nicola déAngelis,
  • Michael Denis Kelly,
  • Imtiaz Wani,
  • Boris Sakakushev,
  • Miklosh Bala,
  • Luigi Bonavina,
  • Joseph M. Galante,
  • Vishal G. Shelat,
  • Lorenzo Cobianchi,
  • Francesca Dal Mas,
  • Manos Pikoulis,
  • Dimitrios Damaskos,
  • Raul Coimbra,
  • Jugdeep Dhesi,
  • Melissa Red Hoffman,
  • Philip F. Stahel,
  • Ronald V. Maier,
  • Andrey Litvin,
  • Rifat Latifi,
  • Walter L. Biffl,
  • Fausto Catena

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13017-024-00537-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 1
pp. 1 – 61

Abstract

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Abstract Background The trauma mortality rate is higher in the elderly compared with younger patients. Ageing is associated with physiological changes in multiple systems and correlated with frailty. Frailty is a risk factor for mortality in elderly trauma patients. We aim to provide evidence-based guidelines for the management of geriatric trauma patients to improve it and reduce futile procedures. Methods Six working groups of expert acute care and trauma surgeons reviewed extensively the literature according to the topic and the PICO question assigned. Statements and recommendations were assessed according to the GRADE methodology and approved by a consensus of experts in the field at the 10th international congress of the WSES in 2023. Results The management of elderly trauma patients requires knowledge of ageing physiology, a focused triage, including drug history, frailty assessment, nutritional status, and early activation of trauma protocol to improve outcomes. Acute trauma pain in the elderly has to be managed in a multimodal analgesic approach, to avoid side effects of opioid use. Antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended in penetrating (abdominal, thoracic) trauma, in severely burned and in open fractures elderly patients to decrease septic complications. Antibiotics are not recommended in blunt trauma in the absence of signs of sepsis and septic shock. Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis with LMWH or UFH should be administrated as soon as possible in high and moderate-risk elderly trauma patients according to the renal function, weight of the patient and bleeding risk. A palliative care team should be involved as soon as possible to discuss the end of life in a multidisciplinary approach considering the patient’s directives, family feelings and representatives' desires, and all decisions should be shared. Conclusions The management of elderly trauma patients requires knowledge of ageing physiology, a focused triage based on assessing frailty and early activation of trauma protocol to improve outcomes. Geriatric Intensive Care Units are needed to care for elderly and frail trauma patients in a multidisciplinary approach to decrease mortality and improve outcomes. Graphical abstract

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